Exploring Problems Related to Adoption and Implementation of Iso 21001:2018 at Higher Education in Pakistan
Keywords:
Adoption, ISO, Higher Education, Quality Assurance, Institutional Performance Evaluation StandardsAbstract
Objective: The overarching objectives of this research were firstly to explore the problems related to adoption of the ISO 21001: 2018 standard by the Higher Education Commission in Pakistan for continuous improvement of HEIs and secondly to find out the issues and challenges in implementation of the ISO 21001:2018 standard at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan.
Materials and methods: This is purely a qualitative research study. Both Primary and Secondary data have been used. In order to carry out this research, the ‘purposive sampling technique’ has been used. Samples were drawn with one set of respondents from the Higher Education Commission Pakistan and the second set of respondents from various higher education institutions across Pakistan. Data was collected through online interviews from each set of respondents separately. The interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was used to draw results.
Results: It is revealed that the HEC already has a ‘Quality Assurance’ framework in place through ‘Internal Quality Assurance’ and ‘External Quality Assurance’ mechanisms prescribed for the Higher Education Institutions / Universities. The HEC has developed ‘Institutional Performance Evaluation Standards (IPES)’ which are evaluated independently by trained panels / committees against the 11 (Eleven) standards of the IPES. The combined scores on the matrices of these panels form the basis of rankings of HEIs. On the other hand, a system like ISO21001:2018 is not considered by the HEC for implementation in as is form.
Conclusion: The study reveals that there is scope for improvement in the overall quality assurance framework of the HEC. The respondents have hinted on acceptability of an internationally recognized system such as the ISO21001:2018; however, for any system to work there is a need to sustain policies and go away with the bureaucratic red tapping not just at HEC level but also at an independent institutional level.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10492355
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